Irish Policing


Book Description

This book examines the organisational culture of the Irish police service, speaking in particular to those interested in policing organisations and organisational culture. It is set against a backdrop of considerations such as community policing, police accountability, the management of change in Irish policing, and where the Irish police situates itself in relation to police organisations internationally. An Garda Síochána, the national police service of the Republic of Ireland, has a stated community policing style which focuses on an interactive relationship with the community and results in a largely unarmed policing organisation which makes it different to most police organisations. Yet, the author argues that the organisational culture has prevented them from embodying community policing across the organisation. Exploring the organisation’s historical context and how they are trained, this book draws on new research and data spanning 30 years including tribunals and reports to examine the organisational culture over time including potential misconduct, blame culture, and resistance to change within the organisation, in order to provide a more thorough understanding of a relatively unknown policing organisation.




Policing Hong Kong an Irish History


Book Description

Hong Kong, 1918. Tranquil compared to war-torn Europe. But on January 22nd, a running battle through the streets of Wanchai ended with five policemen dead. One of the men came from a small town in Ireland. He, along with a dozen relatives, had sailed out to join the Police Force. Patricia O'Sullivan describes these policemen and the criminals they dealt with, and gives a rare glimpse into the life of working-class Europeans in Hong Kong.




Policing Twentieth Century Ireland


Book Description

The twentieth century was a time of rapid social change in Ireland: from colonial rule to independence, civil war and later the Troubles; from poverty to globalisation and the Celtic Tiger; and from the rise to the fall of the Catholic Church. Policing in Ireland has been shaped by all of these changes. This book critically evaluates the creation of the new police force, an Garda Síochána, in the 1920s and analyses how this institution was influenced by and responded to these substantial changes. Beginning with an overview of policing in pre-independence Ireland, this book chronologically charts the history of policing in Ireland. It presents data from oral history interviews with retired gardaí who served between the 1950s and 1990s, giving unique insight into the experience of policing Ireland, the first study of its kind in Ireland. Particular attention is paid to the difficulties of transition, the early encounters with the IRA, the policing of the Blueshirts, the world wars, gangs in Dublin and the growth of drugs and crime. Particularly noteworthy is the analysis of policing the Troubles and the immense difficulties that generated. This book is essential reading for those interested in policing or Irish history, but is equally important for those concerned with the legacy of colonialism and transition.




Policing Northern Ireland


Book Description

This book provides an account and analysis of policing in Northern Ireland, following the RUC (Royal Ulster Constabulary) from the start of 'the troubles' in the 1960s up to 1999. It focuses on three key aspects of the police legitimation process: reform measures which are implemented to redress a legitimacy crisis; representational strategies which are invoked to offer positive images of policing; and public responses to these various strategies. The book also makes a powerful contribution to wider current debates about police legitimacy, police-community relations, community resistance, and conflict resolution.




Police, Race and Culture in the 'new Ireland'


Book Description

This book explores the relationship between the Irish police and ethnic minorities, made particularly pressing by the rapid ethnic diversification of Irish society. It addresses the current deficit in knowledge of this area by exploring how Irish police officers conceive of, talk about, and interact with Ireland's immigrant minority communities.




Policing for Peace in Northern Ireland


Book Description

This is the first in-depth analysis of the transition from the RUC to the PSNI seen through the eyes of key figures, inside and outside the organization. It provides a fresh insight into the wider social and political context in which this change occurred and is a significant contribution to the story of the Northern Ireland peace process.




Police Custody in Ireland


Book Description

Police Custody in Ireland brings together experts from policing studies, law, criminology, and psychology, to critically examine contemporary police custody in Ireland, what we know about it, how it operates, how it is experienced, and how it might be improved. This first-of-its-kind collection focuses exclusively on detention in Garda Síochána stations, critically examining it from human rights and best practice perspectives. It examines the physical environment of custody, police interview techniques, existing protections, rights, and entitlements, and experiences of specific communities in custody, such as children, ethnic minorities, non-English speakers, the Mincéir/Traveller community, and those with intellectual disabilities or Autism Spectrum Disorder. Police Custody in Ireland gives a snapshot of garda custody as it is now and makes important recommendations for necessary future improvements. An accessible and compelling read, this book will be of interest to those engaged in policing and criminology, as well as related areas of interest such as human rights, youth justice and disability studies.




Criminal Justice in Ireland


Book Description

Comprehensive overview of the Irish criminal justice system, its current problems and its vision for the future. Collection of essays by major office-holders, experienced practitioners, leading academics, legal scholars, sociologists, psychologists, philosophers and educationalists.




A History of the Dublin Metropolitan Police and its Colonial Legacy


Book Description

This book illuminates the neglected history of the Dublin Metropolitan Police – a history that has been long overshadowed by existing historiography, which has traditionally been preoccupied with the more radical aspects of Irish history. It explores the origins of the institution and highlights the Dublin Metropolitan Police’s profound influence on the colonial forces, as its legacy reached some of the furthest outposts of the British Empire. In doing so Anastasia Dukova provides much needed nuance and complexity to our understanding of Ireland as a whole, and Dublin in particular, demonstrating that it was far more than a lawless place ravaged by political and sectarian violence. Simultaneously, the book tells the story of the bobby on the beat, the policeman who made the organisation; his work and day, the conditions of service and how they affected or bettered his lot at home and abroad.




Violence and Police Culture


Book Description

Violence and policing are inevitably associated. Criminals use violence not only against innocent members of the public, but also against the police themselves. For our own protection and theirs, we have given police a licence to use force, sometimes with lethal consequences. But the exercise of this licence is fraught with risk to the community. The disturbing record of police shootings in Victoria, and irresponsible police violence elsewhere in recent years, vividly illustrate this risk. The public outcry against such events is understandable. To find a solution, we need to analyse the contexts and the cultural background of the use of police violence, and to think hard about its causes and proper limits. In Violence and Police Culture, eminent contributors offer valuable insights and experience to the growing debate. While Australian in origin and emphasis, the book addresses a public issue that resonates as far afield as London, New York, Tokyo and Belfast. Violence and Police Culture argues that there are features of police culture which foster abuse of the right to use violence. The book makes positive suggestions about institutional changes that might alleviate the problems bedevilling what the philosopher Thomas Hobbes called 'the right of the sword'.